Expressions of Interest: Implementing Evidence-Based Policy for Advancing the Care Economy in Kenya

Deadline: 29-Feb-2024

UN Women, in close partnership with the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action (SDFGAA), proposes to implement a project that seeks to remove structural and systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the economy in Kenya by finalizing the development of a National Care Policy, implementing the policy at both national and county levels and strengthening women’s entrepreneurship.

By doing so, UN Women will contribute towards addressing the gender imbalances that are a root cause of women’s social and economic disempowerment. This project will focus on policy development at the national level during the first year, followed by county-level implementation and advocacy during the second year.

Funding Information

• Budget: USD 60,000 annual
• Timeframe: 7th November 2023 to 6th November 2025

Investment Results – Outcomes and Outputs

• “Outcome” is the ultimate or overall change(s) in systems, populations, or behaviors that a project seeks to achieve within the period of the grant.
• Women and girls in Kenya spend around 3.5 times more on unpaid care work than men and boys, according to a study by ILO3. For women and girls living in rural areas, these figures can vary widely, particularly in areas with limited or intermittent access to basic services such as energy, water and sanitation, because women and girls tend to undertake most of the unpaid domestic work to collect and manage these resources and services for daily household consumption. Moreover, drought, illness and other crises in the household can increase the time spent by women and girls on caregiving and domestic work. This was brought into sharp focus by the COVID-19 pandemic, which exacerbated the care demands on women and girls due to pandemic-related measures and lockdowns. As evidenced by previous epidemics, women and girls tend to be the ones who take the bulk of the extra care needs when national systems are unable to cope
• The inequalities in the distribution of unpaid care work constitute a root cause of gender inequality. It means women are less able to access income-generating work, escape poverty, be financially independent and accumulate savings, assets or retirement income for their later years. It also means less time for schooling and training, political participation, self-care, rest and leisure. Thus, the care economy has crucial implications for gender equality and both the realization and enjoyment of human rights, including the right to work. It is also a key development policy issue given its links to poverty reduction, the elimination of inequalities by socioeconomic status, decent job creation, and sustainable development.
• The project seeks to remove structural and systemic barriers to women’s full and equal participation in the economy in Kenya by developing a National Care Policy for the country, implementing the policy at both national and county levels, and strengthening women’s entrepreneurship. Ultimately, the aim is to foster a strong role for the public and private sectors through increased investment in caresupporting infrastructure and create opportunities for women and girls to engage in decent paid work.
• The outcome of the project is: Women and girls benefit from an inclusive and gender-responsive policy on care and transformative care services.

Output/Funded Development Description

• The national and county governments and civil society organizations have the capacity to plan, develop and implement a gender-responsive National Care Policy.
  • Provide technical assistance to and build the capacity of the State Department for Gender and Affirmative Action to develop the National Care Policy.
  • Support the convening of national and county-level policy dialogues on formulation and implementation of the National Care Policy.
  • Support the organization of national validation meetings; and engage with the Kenyan legislature and cabinet for sensitization and approval of the policy.
  • Raise awareness in communities, including with community opinion leaders, for social norms and behavior change, including scaling up HeForShe community advocates to increase awareness on unpaid care work.
  • Facilitate consultations with the private sector to incorporate their viewpoints into the National Care Policy.
  • CSOs/WROs to document the specific types and modalities of public care services and infrastructure that women and girls in different settings in Kenya most need. The study will collect lessons and best practices from Busia, Nairobi, Kisumu and Tharaka Nithi, to inform care-related work in the three counties of Kitui, Laikipia and West Pokot.
  • Support the mid-term review on the progress of the Government of Kenya’s commitments on care workas outlined in Medium Term Plan IV (MTP IV).
  • Develop localized public information campaigns to generate public support for gender responsive policies on care work

Competencies

• Technical/functional competencies required.
  • The Expression of Interest is open to:
    • Non-Government Organizations (national/local)
    • International Non-Government Organizations
    • Academic institutions
    • UN agencies
    • Inter-governmental institutions not part of the UN System
  • Technical Capacity:
    • Proven track record of 5 – 7 years in the gender equality and women’s empowerment (WEE)/ disability inclusion/ care
    • Proven record of ensuring gender equality and the empowerment of women is mainstreamed.
    • Proven commitment to results (able to provide reports/evaluations of successful results)
    • Proven credibility in the country or region, especially credibility in terms of working towards gender equality,
    • women’s resilience and women’s economic empowerment
• Other competencies, which while not required, can be an asset for the performance of services. Partnerships/Reach
  • Evidence of the organization having grassroots presence and or affiliation/networks with other similar strong qualified organizations in the country
  • Evidence of strong working relationships with relevant stakeholders in country including national/sub-national government, other CSOs including faith-based organisations, donors and/or private sector
  • Capacity to mobilise development partners in the WEE and Care spaces.
  • Good relations with Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs)
  • Experience in policy development and implementation
  • Participation in the development of policy documents and particularly the National Care Policy
  • Participation in the WEE and care communities of practice (CoP)
  • Coordination of communities of practice
  • Experience organising awareness campaigns

For more information, visit UN Women.